Unfortunately, 95 percent of the current forest practice in Central Europe looks quite different, with the use of heavy machinery and plantation monocultures.

The difference is that it is even darker under the leaves of their cohort that has pulled ahead than it was under their mothers.

chemical signals sent through the fungal networks around their root tips, which operate no matter what the weather.

In the end, all that remains is an empty shell that cannot be saved and one day will be chopped down.

Accordingly, scientists call these “drunken forests.”

Contrary to popular opinion, the air in the forest is not always particularly rich in oxygen.

As their upward growth slows, their defenses against fungi disappear. One broken-off branch is enough to provide a port of entry.

Trees that don’t follow the etiquette manual find themselves in trouble. For example, if a trunk is curved, it has difficulties even when it is just standing there.

If it is particularly warm and dry, appropriate genes are activated. Scientists have proved that under these conditions, spruce seedlings are better able to tolerate warm weather—though they lose the same